There’s no official theme for this week’s Tune in Tuesday, but given the fact that it’s New Year’s Eve, I really only had one choice of song. It wasn’t originally performed by them, but I love Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s rendition of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” It’s sly and cute and old-fashioned in the best way. Plus, ladies, admit it — you fell a little bit in love with JGL when he started singing, didn’t you? So on that note, I will wish you all a very happy New Year! May your 2014 be better than your 2013. 🙂
Month: December 2013
Top Ten Tuesday: Best of 2013
On the last day of 2013, it seems only appropriate that we look back on our year and take stock of what we’ve read. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic facilitates said stock-taking by asking about the 10 best books we read in 2013. I have to say, I didn’t read anything this year that absolutely blew me away or that I would add to my list of all-time desert-island favorite books. But here are my 10 favorite books of the year, which I couldn’t possibly rank in order, so I’ve just listed them in the order in which I read them:
1. Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering — I’m a sucker for a good love story, and this one is charming and somewhat philosophical and Parisian!
2. Jonathan Eig, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig — I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, and I don’t really care much about sports, but I really loved this fantastic biography of one of baseball’s greatest legends.
3. Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park — What more can I say about this book? It’s teen romance the way teen romance SHOULD be done.
4. Robin LaFevers, Grave Mercy — Medieval Brittany! Forbidden love! Political intrigue! Killer nuns! This book pushes so many of my happy buttons, it’s ridiculous.
5. Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo — I’ll admit, it was tough going at times. But this classic tale of revenge is so suspenseful and well-plotted that I don’t begrudge a minute of reading the complete and unabridged edition.
6. Ben Macintyre, Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory — I can’t quite believe it, but TWO nonfiction books made it onto my top 10 list this year! This is one of the most readable, entertaining books about WW2 espionage that I can imagine.
7. Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves — While not destined to become one of my all-time favorite books like The Scorpio Races, this book is further evidence of why Stiefvater is awesome and should keep writing dark, tortuous romantic fantasy forever.
8. Mary Doria Russell, Doc — This book is not only a great Western (and I don’t really care about Westerns) but a great work of historical fiction. I felt transported to Dodge City in the late 19th century, and it was one heck of an interesting ride!
9. Cheryl Mahoney, The Wanderers — I know, I keep talking about this book, and Cheryl is probably afraid I’m a crazy stalker person by now. But honestly, I just really liked this book, which reminds me of the excellent fantasy novels I read as a teenager that introduced me to the genre.
10. Kate Ross, Whom the Gods Love — Honestly, why aren’t ALL novels about Regency dandies who also solve murder mysteries? I mean, seriously.
Review: Life of Johnson
James Boswell, Life of Johnson
James Boswell and Samuel Johnson were unlikely friends: Boswell was a young Scottish nobleman with a penchant for drinking and whoring, while Johnson was poorer, much more devout (in theory, at least), and a good 30 years older. Yet throughout the course of this monumental work, Boswell describes his reverence for Johnson’s intelligence, morality, and literary talents — a reverence so extreme that Boswell took notes on almost every conversation he ever had with the older man. As a result, this biography is stuffed full of Boswell’s personal anecdotes, letters both to and from Johnson, and first-person accounts of other contemporaries who knew him. Near the end of the book, Boswell states: “The character of Samuel Johnson has, I trust, been so developed in the course of this work, that they who have honoured it with a perusal, may be considered as well acquainted with him.” And indeed, anyone who reads this book will come away with an extremely vivid picture of a remarkable man.
This book is so huge and deals with so many things that I don’t quite know what to say about it. At first I was very intimidated, both by its length and by Boswell’s flowery 18th-century prose. But even though it’s not a quick read, this book contains a wealth of fascinating details about Johnson and the age in which he lived. I was struck by how literary the 18th century was, in the sense that seemingly anyone with a claim to intelligence was churning out books and pamphlets. In that way, Johnson’s time is very similar to our own, where everybody can (and does) publish blogs, tweets, and other forms of instantaneous literature. I was also fascinated by Johnson’s unique character; though intelligent, he was often pompous, narrow-minded, and abrasive. I frequently found myself underlining various Johnsonian sayings that were wise, or funny, or both — but I would have hated to be forced to converse with him! Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the time period or who enjoys very thorough biographies!
Historical Fiction 2013 Challenge Wrap-up
The 2013 Historical Fiction Challenge at Historical Tapestry isn’t officially over until December 31, but since I know I won’t be reading any more historical fiction this year, I’m doing my wrap-up post a little early.
I chose to complete the Ancient History level of this challenge, which required me to read 25 or more books of historical fiction. Any subgenre of HF was welcome, including YA, fantasy, mystery, and romance. Here’s what I read:
- Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
- Larry McMurtry, Lonesome Dove
- Phillip Rock, The Passing Bells
- Anne Fortier, Juliet
- Gail Carriger, Etiquette & Espionage
- Kathryn Miller Haines, The Winter of Her Discontent
- Hilary Reyl, Lessons in French
- Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park
- J.J. Murphy, Murder Your Darlings
- Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers
- Peter Ho Davies, The Welsh Girl
- Jude Morgan, A Little Folly
- Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave
- Robin LaFevers, Grave Mercy
- Sharon Kay Penman, Time and Chance
- Marie Brennan, A Natural History of Dragons
- Patricia Wynn, The Birth of Blue Satan
- Lauren Willig, The Ashford Affair
- Dorothy Dunnett, Niccolò Rising
- Robin LaFevers, Dark Triumph
- Samuel Park, This Burns My Heart
- Charles Finch, A Death in the Small Hours
- Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers
- Stefanie Pintoff, In the Shadow of Gotham
- Charles Portis, True Grit
- Poul Anderson, A Midsummer Tempest
- Lauren Willig, The Passion of the Purple Plumeria
- Sharon Kay Penman, Devil’s Brood
- Rhys Bowen, Royal Blood
- Mary Stewart, The Hollow Hills
- Amy Patricia Meade, Million Dollar Baby
- Dai Sijie, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
- Mary Doria Russell, Doc
- Mary Stewart, The Last Enchantment
- Gail Carriger, Curtsies & Conspiracies
- Mary Doria Russell, Dreamers of the Day
- Ellis Peters, An Excellent Mystery
- Charles Finch, An Old Betrayal
- Kate Ross, Whom the Gods Love
Since historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, it was easy for me to complete this challenge. I read books whose settings ranged from the 12th century to the 1980s, and I really enjoyed most of them! Perhaps next year I’ll aim for 40 works of historical fiction. 🙂
Review: Whom the Gods Love
Kate Ross, Whom the Gods Love
Alexander Falkland, one of the darlings of English society, has just been murdered — bashed over the head with a poker in the middle of a party at his own house. The Bow Street Runners are at a loss to discover the killer; after all, who would want to murder a man who was universally liked? When the official investigation goes nowhere, Alexander’s father enlists the help of Regency dandy/sleuth Julian Kestrel. As a man of Alexander’s own social class, Julian has unique access to his friends and associates that the Bow Street Runners could never obtain. Julian agrees to take the case, but he warns Alexander’s father that unpleasant truths might emerge. And indeed, the further Julian digs into Alexander’s life, the more shocking secrets he uncovers, including several motives for murder.
I absolutely loved the first two books in the Julian Kestrel series, and I’m thrilled to be able to say that I loved this one as well! The strength of most mystery series depends on the protagonist, and Julian Kestrel is a wonderful sleuth: intelligent, intuitive, willing to cooperate with the police (a rare trait!), and always impeccably dressed. I also think this book is very well-plotted. Obviously there is more to Alexander Falkland than meets the eye, but the various twists and turns of the plot kept me in suspense until almost the very end of the book. My only problem with the book is that I really liked one particular character who ended up doing a horrible thing in the course of the plot. Because of this, the resolution of the mystery wasn’t completely satisfying for me; but I suppose that’s a testament to the author for making me care so much about that character! In short, I’d definitely recommend this book (and the entire series) to anyone who enjoys mysteries or historical fiction!
Top Ten Tuesday: All I want for Christmas…
It’s probably a little late to be bothering Santa, but this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is about the 10 books you’d like to see under the tree on Christmas morning (or otherwise receive for the winter holiday of your choice). So here are 10 books on my Christmas list, in no particular order:
1. Angela Thirkell, High Rising (Virago Modern Classics edition) — Over the past few years, I’ve become enamored with a certain genre of literature…I guess you’d call it women’s fiction from the first half of the 20th century? The types of books that Persephone, Bloomsbury, and Virago are publishing, in other words. I’ve heard good things about Thirkell, so I’m itching to try her Barsetshire books!
2. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (Pulp! The Classics edition) — I already have 3 different copies of P&P, but I’m sorry, I need this:
3. Julianna Deering, Rules of Murder — The rules of murder are a real thing! When the Detection Club was formed in 1930 (members included Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Anthony Berkeley, and many others), one of the members set forth 10 “rules” of how detective novels should be written. Deering’s novel, I am led to believe, breaks them all.
4. Ismail Kadare, Broken April — I’ve been making an effort lately to be more global in my reading, instead of just devouring novels set in England and the U.S. Something or other led me to this article, which led me to Broken April. I’ve never read anything set in Albania before, and I’m very curious!
5. Lorna Goodison, By Love Possessed: Stories — Another “global” book, this time set in Jamaica. I’m sure the stories will be interesting, but honestly, I’m most drawn to the gorgeous cover:
6. Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park — I’m trying really hard to wait for the paperback edition of this. But if someone ELSE were to buy the hardcover for me, I wouldn’t turn it down… 🙂
7. Rachel Bach, Fortune’s Pawn — Space opera and romance by the author of the Eli Monpress series? I want to go to there! Sadly, my library doesn’t have any copies, so it looks like I’ll just “have” to obtain my own.
8. Joyce Dennys, Henrietta’s War: News from the Home Front 1939-1942 — See #1 above. Woman writer + WWII = my kind of book!
9. Maurice Dekobra, The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars — Apparently this is a classic mystery novel referenced by many contemporary mystery/thriller writers. For example, Alan Furst’s train passengers are frequently seen reading it. What makes it so seminal? I want to find out!
10. D.E. Stevenson, The Two Mrs. Abbotts — If Santa can get to every house in the world on Christmas Eve, surely he can bring me a book 2 weeks before its official release date!
Tune in Tuesday with Katelyn: For happiness I long have sought
Fun fact about me: I am an alto in my church choir, and I actually love religious choral music. And this time of year in particular is GREAT for church music, since there are so many beautiful Christmas carols and hymns. My choir was supposed to perform the following piece for a Lessons & Carols service a few weeks ago, but it was sadly canceled due to snow. But since I absolutely adore this song, I at least had to share it with the Internet! So here is a Christmas carol called “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree,” written by Elizabeth Poston and performed by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge:
Bout of Books 9.0 Sign-up
It’s time to sign up for the 9th edition of the Bout of Books read-a-thon! Here’s how it works, as per the Bout of Books team:
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.
As you can see, the fun begins on January 6 and lasts through January 12. There will be a ton of fun mini-challenges and a chance to win prizes, so join us! I’m looking forward to kicking off 2014 with some great books!
Around the World in 12 Books Challenge Wrap-up
With less than two weeks to spare, I have completed the Around the World in 12 Books Challenge at Giraffe Days!
The goal was to read a book for each of the 12 selected countries, one per month, and here’s what I read:
- January (France) — Anna Gavalda, Hunting and Gathering
- February (Sudan) — Tayeb Salih, The Wedding of Zein
- March (Wales) — Peter Ho Davies, The Welsh Girl
- April (South Pacific Islands) — Jill Shalvis, The Trouble with Paradise
- May (Belgium) — Dorothy Dunnett, Niccolò Rising
- June (South Korea) — Samuel Park, This Burns My Heart
- July (Israel) — Etgar Keret, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door
- August (Palestine) — Matt Beynon Rees, The Collaborator of Bethlehem
- September (Brazil) — Luis Fernando Verissimo, The Club of Angels
- October (China) — Dai Sijie, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
- November (Egypt) — Mary Doria Russell, Dreamers of the Day
- December (Argentina) — Adolfo Bioy Casares, Asleep in the Sun
This was a really interesting challenge for me, since I normally stick to British and American authors. I enjoyed reading outside my geographical comfort zone and will make an effort to read more globally in the future.
My favorite books from the challenge were Hunting and Gathering, a charming love story with depth; The Wedding of Zein, which seemed both specific to Sudan and yet also universal; and The Club of Angels, which was bizarre and sinister and philosophical — but funny! On the other hand, I didn’t particularly enjoy The Welsh Girl, and I HATED Niccolò Rising!
Anyway, I won’t be participating in this challenge next year — I think I’ve already overcommitted myself! — but if you’re interested in broadening your literary horizons, the sign-up post for 2014 is here (and there are some format changes, so take note!).
Review: Asleep in the Sun
Adolfo Bioy Casares, Asleep in the Sun (trans. Suzanne Jill Levine)
Lucio Bordenave is a fairly ordinary, contented man who lives with his wife, Diana, and an old servant called Ceferina. His life is not without problems, however, and most of them center around Diana, who is very high-strung and always seems to be unhappy about something. Lucio protests that he loves his wife and is generally happy in his marriage…but when a doctor from the nearby sanatorium suggests that Diana might benefit from a short treatment there, Lucio finds himself agreeing. Diana accordingly goes to the mental hospital, and when she returns, she is joyful, loving, and contented. At first, Lucio is pleased with Diana’s “cure,” but eventually he begins to feel that something is not quite right. But when he attempts to get more information from the mental hospital, he is propelled into a nightmarish state of confusion that culminates in his learning the shocking truth.
This is my first book by Bioy Casares, and I’ve read almost no South American literature, so I honestly had no idea what to expect. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this weird little novel. I really liked the narrative structure: Lucio is the narrator for most of the book, and the first page reveals that he is writing to an old acquaintance for help — so you know right away that something has gone terribly wrong. The framework also inevitably raises questions about Lucio’s reliability; is he lying, or has he possibly gone mad from worrying about a perceived difference in his wife that doesn’t really exist? An interesting ambiguity is maintained for most of the novel, but in the end — fortunately, from my point of view — the truth is revealed. I’m not opposed to ambiguous endings in certain circumstances, but I’ll admit that in general, I prefer to have some level of closure. I also want to note that most editions of this book have HUGE spoilers in the cover blurb; the NYRB edition is an especially egregious offender. For this reason, I’d encourage people to avoid plot synopses as much as possible and go into the book “blind”; I promise you’ll enjoy it more that way!
You Book Me All Night Long 